Fighting Back: Senator Hassan “We need to act on the Opioid Crisis because people are dying”

The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.

(Senator Maggie Hassan Delivers Weekly Address)

“As negotiations continue on a long-term spending bill, Democrats have a long to-do list, with many priorities we need to address. We still are pushing for increased investments in both military and domestic priorities, and one of the many things we have made clear is that there is an urgent need to significantly increase federal funding to address [the opioid] crisis and make investments in key programs to combat substance use disorders – many of which have bipartisan support. We need to act because people are dying. This is not a partisan issue – and Senate Democrats stand ready and willing to work with our colleagues to fight for progress, to help those struggling get the treatment that they need, and to support all of the dedicated professionals on the front lines of battling this crisis.”

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan called for more money to fight the opioid epidemic in this week’s Weekly Democratic Address.

Hassan delivered the Democratic address for the first time since she was elected to the U.S. Senate. She highlighted the story of Derry, New Hampshire, resident Greg Drugan, who died in 2016 from an opioid overdose.

“Greg Drugan was a young man from Derry, N.H., with dreams of becoming a doctor. He had a family who loved him. But Greg also struggled with a substance use disorder. He was showing signs of depression, and after graduating from college, he was prescribed an opioid-based painkiller following an outpatient surgery. After he was prescribed that opioid, he went from bad to worse,” Hassan said in the speech she produced Friday.

“Greg’s father is a firefighter — responding every day to the havoc that the opioid crisis is wreaking on other families. Greg’s family helped him. He got into recovery, and he worked hard at it. But Greg was one of the tens of thousands of Americans who died from an opioid overdose in 2016.”

“Tragically, Greg’s story is far too common,” Hassan said. “In my home state of New Hampshire and all across our nation, families and communities are in the midst of a devastating public health and safety challenge: the opioid crisis. And the rising use of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl is making matters worse, killing people faster and with smaller amounts.”

Hassan said Democrats are seeking $25 billion in additional funding to combat the opioid crisis. She said more will be needed on top of that amount, but funds are needed now to support efforts to fight addiction.

“Congress must come together and put partisan politics aside to get results for our people, because lives are truly at stake,” Hassan said.

Negotiations on a long-term spending bill are underway in Congress.

“We need to act because people are dying. This is not a partisan issue – and Senate Democrats stand ready and willing to work with our colleagues to fight for progress, to help those struggling get the treatment that they need, and to support all of the dedicated professionals on the front lines of battling this crisis,” Hassan said.

Any bolding has been added.

~

Congress was still in recess for most of the week so there was no weekly news conference from Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday.

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Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the Trump Administration announced plans to dismantle a decades-old ban on oil and gas drilling on shorelines across the nation:

“The Trump Administration’s latest assault on environmental protections will throw open the floodgates to pollution, devastate small businesses which rely on the oceans, hamstring the military, and destroy good-paying jobs in America’s tourism industry.

“The American people deserve smart, strong action to keep our communities healthy, clean and safe. Yet, the Trump Administration is racing forward with its increasingly brazen attempts to loot our environment and our planet. Just last week, the White House decided to give handouts to corporate polluters by ripping away safety protections enacted in the wake of the worst oil spill in American history.

“Americans from coast to coast will make their voices heard to oppose this blatant corporate giveaway. Democrats will join with the American people, cities and states to fight for the future of our environment and our planet against the Trump Administration’s special interest agenda.”

(Bolding added)

We must take back Congress and put up a firewall against the Zinke/Republican vision for an unliveable planet. If there is a single Republican House member from California left after the 2018 mid-term election, it will be a shock.

Only way we’re going to be able to address any of the many crises going on right now is to get Congress back – and then the White House while keeping Congress for the full presidential term. Definitely “Eye on the Prize, Team Blue”

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